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Recyclers crushed by commodity prices

Brown makes his living searching through trash cans and dumpsters across the city for any piece of metal he can sell to local scrap recyclers. But like his fellow tradesmen around Richmond, a drastic decline in commodity prices has hurt Brown’s business. Jim Brown rode his bicycle over the 14th Street Bridge, his load of… Read more »

Is the ‘Curse of Diamond Duck’ over before it took hold?

Richmond might some day lament the day Diamond Duck left for Atlanta, ushering in an era without baseball. A new stadium would probably cure any budding curse before it becomes debilitating. (Read: Curse of the Bambino) Developer Highwoods Properties and their team have until March 1 to submit a letter of intent and outline their… Read more »

LandAmerica cuts 20 percent of Richmond office

LandAmerica Financial Group laid off about 120 of the 600 workers at its Richmond headquarters Monday, according to a company spokeswoman. Many of the affected packed up and left the company in the middle of the afternoon.

Circuit City closes three VA stores

Circuit City will close three stores in Virginia as part of a move to preserve cash at the badly bleeding electronics retailer. Two are in northern Virginia and one is in Charlottesville.

LandAmerica lays off 130

LandAmerica laid off around 130 of its 600 workers in Richmond today. Those who are still employed are bracing for a possible liquidation of the company, according to a source inside the Glen-Allen-based company. Employees who were let go on Monday were packing up their belongings and leaving for good. Late last week LandAmerica laid… Read more »

A decent city for singles

Richmond is ranked 42nd among the 100 best metropolitan areas relocating singles, according to the yearly list compiled by relocation analysts Primacy Relocation and Worldwide ERC. The study uses population, economic and quality-of-life criteria to score each city. Some of the more specific factors include the prevalence of bars and restaurants, the cost of living… Read more »

Entrepreneurs coming out of woodwork

More people might be starting businesses now that major employers are laying off workers or curtailing raises and career advancement. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance reported that activity for the Business One-Stop website rose 30 percent in October compared with September. Business One Stop helps potential business owners learn how to launch ventures in… Read more »

Sarah Palin for Halloween — Join the crowd

So you want to be Sarah Palin for Halloween — Join the crowd. I predict that at least 50% of women in Richmond ages 18 to 30 will be Sarah Palin for Halloween. It’s an easy costume for brunettes with glasses. Plus it can be a “sexy” costume without too much extra effort.

No natural gas stations in RIC — but Boone Pickens has a plan

If you haven’t heard of the Pickens Plan by now, you must be living off the grid. The radio and television spots have been running since summer urging you to join billionaire T. Boone Pickens in his effort to get the U.S. to quit its $700 billion oil addiction. Last week BizSense ran an article… Read more »

Tech Review: GlassDoor sheds light on employees and salaries

With GlassDoor.com, you can find out what your employees are saying about your company — at least at the big ones like Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL and Google. And because entries are anonymous, employees feel comfortable being completely honest about their jobs. (It might also turn into a whining session) The site also provides room for… Read more »